The present invention relates generally to cleaning devices for flues of wood stoves or the like and more particularly to an apparatus and method for cleaning a flue which allows a flue to be cleaned by the manipulation of a device provided at a lower end of the flue that provides for actuation of flue cleaning devices without removal of flue pipe sections or insertion of apparatus into the flue through the chimney.
The cleaning of flues associated with heating systems such as wood burning stoves and coal burning stoves is necessary and often required for safety reasons but in the past has been inconvenient and time consuming due to the fact that the only orifice in which to insert a cleaning device is the top of the chimney which is often accessible only from the roof. Cleaning of such flues has generally been performed by a person standing on the roof of the building containing the flue who inserts a cleaning brush down the flue through the chimney opening. One problem with this type of cleaning operation is in the collection of dirty and often combustible material which is scraped loose in the cleaning process. This loose material may fall into the stove to which the flue is connected or may fall and becomes lodged in a curved horizontal portion of the flue. In either case, removal of the soot and combustible creosote type material from these areas is difficult and often results in spilling of the material in the area around the stove.
It would be generally desireable to provide a flue cleaning device which would allow a person standing near the lower end of the flue to clean the flue and remove flue combustion product debris in a clean and convenient operation. This has been impossible in the past due to the conventional construction of dampers in the lower end of the flue.